She had done so many episodes with Domingo that she knew his cowardice well, but this…
Chloe was lost in thought when footsteps suddenly echoed outside the stone chamber.
Even though she knew it could only be Leo returning, the sudden sound of footsteps in the silent palace was still terrifying.
Domingo’s mind began to wander again, and scenes from horror movies she had seen before flashed before her eyes.
In her mind, she pictured Leo returning, and as she and Chloe went to greet him, they found a rotting corpse instead…
Or Leo walked in with a smile, telling them he had found an exit, only to peel off his face and reveal a bloody visage…
Domingo’s overactive imagination fueled these thoughts.
The footsteps grew closer, and Domingo’s heart beat faster. She instinctively grabbed Chloe’s hand.
Chloe felt a sharp pain in her hand, knowing Domingo was panicking again. She shook her hand free in annoyance and patted Domingo’s shoulder like a big sister.
The footsteps suddenly stopped.
By now, it was too dark to see anything in the stone chamber.
Chloe, affected by Domingo’s panic, became nervous and called out, “Leo?”
“No other exits,” Leo’s voice replied.
Both Domingo and Chloe breathed a sigh of relief.
Though they hadn’t found another exit, just hearing Leo’s voice in the darkness reassured Domingo.
Suddenly, something brushed against Chloe’s chest.
She screamed and hid behind Domingo.
Domingo also screamed, “What happened? What happened?”
Already timid, Domingo was even more frightened now that the usually calm Chloe was panicking.
Their screams echoed through the dark palace, bouncing off the walls and sounding like ghostly laughter.
“Sorry, I was trying to hold your hand,” Leo said awkwardly.
This explanation made Chloe blush with embarrassment.
“Let’s go,” Leo said, heading towards the pond.
Halfway there, he remembered that Chloe and Domingo couldn’t see and returned to guide them.
This time, he said clearly, “Domingo, I’m coming to hold your hand now. Don’t be afraid.”
He said this to avoid Domingo thinking it was some ghost trying to touch her.
Domingo responded with an “okay” and felt a warm hand gently take hers.
Domingo then took Chloe’s hand, following Leo.
Chloe was still holding her chest, not fully recovered from the earlier scare.
Leo also couldn’t shake off the lingering sensation from his fingers. Though he was holding Domingo’s hand, his mind kept replaying the earlier moment.
The short walk to the pond felt like hours for Chloe and Leo.
Standing by the pond, the cool air from the water sent chills through them.
Leo suddenly said, “Domingo, Chloe, I did a divination earlier.”
“What kind?” Chloe asked.
“A divination for good or bad fortune.”
“And?” Chloe pressed.
Though she didn’t usually believe in such things, being in a desperate situation made her cling to any hope.
“An auspicious sign,” Leo laughed.
Somehow, even knowing Leo was using the divination to comfort them, Domingo and Chloe felt reassured.
Thinking back to when Leo did divination on the rock earlier, despite the dangers, they had safely reached the underground palace as he predicted.
Now in a similar situation, the two women naturally trusted him again.
Leo held Domingo’s hand, and Domingo held Chloe’s hand.
The three stood by the pond together.
Leo suddenly told Domingo, “If you can’t hold your breath underwater for long…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but Domingo and Chloe understood his meaning.
Leo quickly added, “I have long breath control. Don’t misunderstand me.”
His extra words made Domingo laugh, “Got it, you big pervert!”
The term “big pervert” made Leo’s heart flutter, and he tightened his grip on Domingo’s hand.
Chloe felt bitter hearing their teasing, thinking, “Didn’t even ask if I needed help? Hmph!”
But if Leo had asked Chloe, she would probably have refused anyway.
Such thoughts were beyond Leo’s understanding.
“Alright, I’ll count to three. 1, 2…”
Leo paused at “2,” clearing his mind of distractions. He took a deep breath and said the final word: “3!”
When Christine arrived at the pond in Blackwind Gulch, the rain had completely stopped.
She looked at the pond and saw a long bamboo pole stuck into the water.
The pole was likely used by villagers to rescue children.
Standing by the pond’s edge, Christine noticed water occasionally spilling over her feet.
Suddenly, white bubbles appeared in the center of the pond…
Could it be…
Christine’s heart tightened. She waited for a while but saw nothing rise to the surface.
“Leo, you must bring Chloe and Domingo out alive…”
As Arlene prayed silently, more bubbles appeared in the pond.
Three white shapes suddenly emerged from the water.
Christine quickly realized they were three people.
“Leo!” Christine called out joyfully.
With Christine’s help, Chloe and Domingo climbed ashore first, followed by Leo.
Their wet clothes dripped continuously; they looked like drowned rats.
“Leo, what happened in the Western Xia Treasury?” Christine asked with concern.
Leo briefly recounted their experience to Christine.
Hearing there was an underground palace beneath the Western Xia Treasury surprised Christine.
But most importantly, Leo, Chloe, and Domingo were safe.
The four returned to camp where Sergeant Woods and others were initially shocked. Their faces then showed expressions as if they’d seen ghosts.
After a brief moment of surprise came a swarm of reporters more intense than before with Sergeant Woods.
Domingo and Chloe were naturally the main focus of attention as beautiful women.
Leo wasn’t spared either.
Especially with his strange attire, reporters bombarded him with questions about what lay beneath the Western Xia Treasury.